The Sultan Sa Ramain speaks, 1934

I have been working on 20 Speeches That Moved a Nation Volume IIfor some years now, and one of the speeches I decided to include was this one, taken from the Constitutional Convention records. It was delivered by Alaoya Alonto, the Sultan Sa Ramain, convention delegate representing Lanao. By way of putting the speech in its historical context, here is an extract froma paper by Rizal G. Buendia:

In the 1934 Constitutional Convention that framed the 1935 PhilippineConstitution (used as the fundamental law of the Commonwealth and 1946 Government of the Republic of the Philippines [GRP]), several elected Muslim Constitutional delegates, led by Alauya Alonto, called upon their fellow delegates not only to cease calling Muslims Moros but also to accept Muslims as part of the Filipino nation.

This turn of events is a classic case of shifting self-definition, attaching new value and meaning to one’s identity in the prospect of advancing its political interestsand exigencies of power within the parameters of a newfound state. This is a clear case wherein ethnic identity is simply not fixed but malleable and shaped by one’s interest in preserving power and access to resources as expounded by instrumentalists Brass and Cohen.

What deepened in almost two decades from the 1950s was the ethnic self-recognition of the masses as Filipino-Muslims (foremost as a Filipino and second, as a Muslim). The legitimacy of the Philippine state to govern the Muslim areas of thecountry was neither questioned nor challenged by any of the Muslim elite. The emergence of new intellectuals and counter-elite among the Muslims and the political events that transpired in the late 1960s until the early 1970s triggered the re-invention of Muslim identity. The massacre of about 28 Muslim military trainees (called “Jabidah commandos”) on Corregidor Island in March 1968 rekindled the quest of Muslims for independence, almost 50 years after it was first clamored for inthe 1920s.

Here is the speech:

SPEECH OF MR. ALONTO ON THE PROBLEMS OF MINDANAO

(Interpreted from Moro to English by Datu Mariaga Sa Ramain Alonto)

Constitutional Convention Record, Journal No. 18, August 21, 1934.

MR. ALONTO. Being one of the elected Delegates from the Province of Lanao, which I have the honor to represent in this Convention, I appear before you in a mood of enthusiasm to present to you the problems that confront the people of Mindanao and Sulu. You are aware of the fact that I am a Mohammedan by birth and by blood, that I am one of the Delegates representing one of the provinces in the Islands of Mindanao and Sulu. The Island of Luzon and the Visayas are predominantly inhabited by Christian Filipinos, the Islands of Mindanao and Sulu are also inhabited by Christian Filipinos. Mindanao, one of the three islands, is inhabited by Mohammedan Filipinos.

Prior to the Spanish regime in the Philippines the Mohammedan Filipinos had been living a life in an independent way. They had their own activities and civilization, the so-called Mohammedan civilization. History tells us that Spaniards failed to penetrate their civilization in that part of the Philippine Islands because the Mohammedan Filipinos refused to fly the Spanish flag in their midst. The Mohammedan Filipinos fought against the Spaniards, brandishing their bolos and kampilanes. Also it is to be regretted that the people of Luzon and the Visayas had been subjugated by Spaniards, but in the Islands of Mindanao and Sulu the people resisted until the Spanish regime in the Islands was ended. Although there has been propaganda that Mohammedans are against the independence of our country, during the Spanish regime they also demonstrated their love for liberty because some of the sons of Mindanao and Sulu died for no other cause than the immortal glory of our country. Now came the American regime. You are aware of the facts of history of the Moroland under the American and Filipino governments. Due to the diplomacy and farsightedness of the American people they adopted the policy of attraction and won the confidence of the Mohammedan Filipinos. The Americans came to our shores with a promise that as soon as we are able to maintain self-government they will grant us independence. This is manifested by the approval of the Tydings-McDuffie Law which grants our cherished dream to be free and independent.

I wish to bring to the attention of the Members of this Convention as representatives of the Filipino people that the Mohammedan Filipinos have been protesting against the name “Moro”. We do not like to be called “Moro” because when we are called “Moros” we feel that we are not considered as part of the Filipino people. You also know that the name Moro was given to us by the Spaniards because Morocco had been under the rule of Spain like Mindanao and Sulu. Therefore, I would like to tell the Members of this Convention that we prefer to be called Mohammedan Filipinos, and not “Moros” because if we are called Moros we will be considered as enemies, for the name “Moro” was given to us by the Spaniards because they failed to penetrate the Islands of Mindanao and Sulu. Another fallacious theory that I would like to invite your attention to is the impression that the Moros are warlike marauding criminals branded as “juramentados”. That is not true, my friends. In the Islands of Mindanao and Sulu there are many Christian inhabitants and they can get along all right with the Mohammedan Filipinos. It is natural that even among brothers, there is a quarrel; so, how much more among people? I would like to call your attention to the fact that we expect much from the Members of this Constitutional Convention; that the customs and traditions of the Mohammedans are granted to them by the present government should not be ignored to them by the Members of this convention. Religion does not in any way bar us from joining one another, for anybody can profess any religion he wishes to. It is true that the men assembled in this historic hall are going to draft the Constitution for the future Philippine Republic and it is true that the Constitution to be drafted is not to last for only one year but for all ages; and upon us rests the serious responsibility to give to our beloved country an enduring constitutional foundation in this period of transition. The Constitution to be drafted must not only be for the satisfaction of a tribe or of a particular group of people but must be for the satisfaction of the while Filipino people.

I also demand the permanent and final solution of the so-called “Moro problem” which has been confronting the Filipino people time and again, and if we fail to solve this problem it will be interpreted that we are incapable of managing our local affairs. We also demand that the Mohammedan Filipinos be given equal rights in the Constitution, because, as it is now, we are not given equal rights. We can count by the tip of the fingers the Mohammedan Filipinos who are thinking whether or not—now that our independence is being given—we shall be given more rights by our Christian brothers. It is a fact that in Luzon and the Visayas, you have good roads, good hospitals, good schools, etc., but in the Islands of Mindana and Sulu, my friends, there are no good roads, no good schools and hospitals. A beautiful Manila will not make a beautiful Philippines if Mindanao and Sulu are behind in improvements. To be frank with you, there was a time when not even a soul among the Mohammedan Filipinos was for the independence of our country. I was the only one who worked for the independence of our country, sacrificing everything, and I have never turned traitor to my country, because I believe that through independence the higher destinies of our people can be attained.

The Government has not been expending much money on the islands of Mindanao and Sulu, but if the Government will spend money on these islands, the returns will be great, because you are aware of the fact that the natural resources of Mindanao have not been developed; and if these natural resources are developed, they will be sufficient to support the whole Philippine Islands.

I am also, in behalf of Mindanao and Sulu, inviting our Christian brothers in Luzon and the Visayas to migrate to Mindanao and Sulu, if they have no lands of their own. In these most trying days in our history, we must advocate national unity among the Christian and the Mohammedan Filipinos, especially during the transition period, because if there is going to be trouble, that will be interpreted in America that we are not yet capable of independent existence.

However, I have faith and confidence in the Members of this Convention, because I know and I am certain that you will not ignore our rights, customs, practices and traditions. I know that you will work for the welfare not only of the Christian Filipinos, but also of the Mohammedan of Mindanao and Sulu.

I appeal to the Members of this Convention that if there is something to be incorporated in our proposed Constitution, like the customs, practices, rights and traditions of the Mohammedan Filipinos, I believe that we should be asked with respect to any changes regarding them.

Last week, my co-Delegate, Mr. Cabili, spoke about the extension of suffrage to Mindanao and Sulu. With respect to that, I think the Delegates representing Mindanao and Sulu should be asked as to whether complete suffrage should be extended to the people of Mindanao and Sulu.

You are aware of the fact that polygamy has been existing among the Mohammedan Filipinos because it has been sanctioned by our religion; that is, each man is allowed to marry four during abnormal times. I think when something is to be done with regards to the practice of polygamy among the Mohammedan Filipinos, i.e., if you are going to stop it, that needs and should be given serious deliberation by the Members of this Convention. I am also a Mohammedan like them, but allow me to tell you that I have only one wife, and if there is a way to abolish polygamy without encountering the contrary opinion of those people, I will be the first man to do it; but, my friends, we have to be patient and so we have to do it in a gradual way, step by step, because if we are going to surprise them by abolishing polygamy immediately, I am sure that there will be trouble among the Mohammedan Filipinos. Although there is nothing wrong with polygamy because, if polygamy is to be practiced as provided in the holy Koran of the Mohammedan Filipinos, it should only be permitted during abnormal conditions. Take for granted in time of war when there are so many women and so many men die, it is natural for a woman to crave for a companion. It is also a fact that although my Christian brothers do not practice polygamy, they have what they call the querida system and yet the law does not say anything about the querida system; hence, my friends, the law must not be sentimental. A Mohammedan can have four wives legally in accordance with Mohammedan rights but polygamy is only sanctioned by the Koran under certain conditions in the life of a man, as for example, a man marries a woman and she turns out to be not capable of bearing him a child. With the Mohammedans a man having a family without a child is like a man in the grave, and so it is natural for a man to marry another woman who will bear him such child.

Mr. President and Members of this Convention, I appeal to you again to reiterate once more that the final and permanent solution of the Moro problem must be made at last. More appropriations should be given to Mindanao and Sulu in order that they may have more schools to educate their children and that they may have good roads so that there will be easy transportation, and so that the Mohammedan Filipinos may go to Luzon and the Visayas and exchange ideas with their Christian brothers.

What we often forget is how relatively unpopulated the Philippines was at the time the Sultan Sa Ramain made his speech: 14 million (see historical demographical data of the whole country). tis is why he could invite Christians to settle in Mindanao and why tensions would reach crisis proportions in the 1960s, by which time the population was 31 million.

I’d like to propose that you consider the following maps.

The first is an ethnographic map, available at Virtual-Museum.com, based on the research of Ferdinand Blumentritt, the great and good friend of Rizal. It’s an ethnographic map, and note the distribution of the Moro population, marked in green (Christians are marked in pink; mixed Christian and Pagan populations, that is, areas with Christians but also the area inhabited by what we call Indigenous Peoples today, are marked in yellow.

Since the MILF agreement with the government basically establishes the end of the Spanish era and the American conquest as the timeline for defining the ancestral homeland of Filipino Muslims, it’s interesting to compare the Blumentritt map, with the proposed territorial expansion of the present ARMM.

As the Inquirer color-coded version of the official agreement map (below) shows, you must consider the maximum aims of the MILF to comprise three objectives:

First, the present ARMM (in red) as the nucleus of the BJE;

Second, the annexation, by means of plebiscite, of the areas marked in green, within 12 months or by August, 2009;

Third, the annexation, after suitable investments have been made by the national government, of the areas marked in yellow, within 25 years.

If I knew how to do overlays it would be interesting how the proposed BJE and what was mapped as Muslim territory in 1890 coincide or diverge -as well as the areas defined by the Supreme Court as IP areas.

77 comments

justice league

If however you were able to read my previous comments a long time ago on the actions of Cebu city mayor Tommy “the gun” Osmena; we both know that you can certainly teach him a thing or 2 about this mobility thing among individuals.

However going to your issue of mobility of cows and chickens; a thing to consider is the possible reaction of certain people should livestock or what have you from one area go to their area (not that I don’t think such happens presently but redrawn and “strengthened” borders might influence things quite a bit) .

I remember a western cowboy film starred by Glenn Ford as a sheepherder. He was a newcomer in town and brought his herd of sheep with him. The town was mostly a cattle raising area. His sheep would be feeding on what the cattle in the area was supposed to be feeding on.

At any rate, what possibly happened in the Hatfield Mccoy was that Floyd Hatfield was retrieving their pig that went astray into what the Mccoy’s believed was their area. What the Mccoy patriarch however saw was a Hatfield (they had some arguments before) running away from their area with what is presumably one of their pigs.

The case went to trial and it went down to the testimony of William Stanton (relatives of both families) who testified that the pig had been ear pierced previously before by Floyd Hatfield so it was indeed a Hatfield pig.

Perceived betrayals by relatives as either eyewitnesses or jurors left bitter marks that was to surface later on in a feud that would later even involve their highest state officials and could have involved their state militia.

So again, one could wonder what could happen if one cow or even one chicken went from one side of the fence to the other in our case.

justice league, I’m not familiar with the case you stated above, and the cows and the chickens mobility rights i mentioned are just an afterthought as to add the emphasis on one of the most important Fundamental Rights of every Individual. Mobility Rights is one of the Rights that we considered most important granted to us as we can move in and out of the country without losing the benefits and the rights of a Citizens, live anywhere in the world and entitled to the Protection of the country, move within the Autonomous provinces without losing the Status and benefits from one province to another and it is just like moving from one neighborhood to another. And since Criminal Law is uniform all over, there is no such thing as State Lines or extraditions between autonomous Provinces and Territories…That Rights should be among the Rights in The Constitution…Time for the chicken to jump the fence without causing a heckle..

leytenian

American Imperialism Period:
” The Legislative Act #4197 or Quirino-Recto Colonization Act was enacted on 12 February 1935. The Commonwealth considered the Act as a lasting solution to Mindanao colony. The Act invites massive arrival of settlers from Luzon and Visayas with the added support from the Government. On 18 March 1935, Hadji Abdulmajid Bongabong led 120 Maranao Chieftains and passed a manifesto known as Dansalan Declaration to the US President opposing the annexation of Mindanao to Luzon and Visayas. ”

Manolo , is this correct?
The Commonwealth Period:
President Quezon signed the Commonwealth Act #141 with Section 84 declaring all Moro ancestral lands as public lands. The Moros and Lumads became landless and deprived of lands once owned by their forefathers. An individual Moro may apply for a parcel of land not exceeding 4 hectares while Christian settlers was allowed to have 24 hectares and Filipino Corporations may apply up to 1,024 hectares.
On June 1939, President Quezon signed Commonwealth Act # 441, another settlement law creating NLSA or National Land Settlement Administration(9). The Act distributed lands but giving priority to settlers who completed a preparatory military training to anticipate the impending Japanese invasion. 3 major settlements were opened with 2 in Cotabato Valley. 200 Christian families from Luzon and Visayas benefitted with 12 hectares each and a financial assistance as a start up.

The japanese Period:
“There were also sided with the Japanese as a response to Japanese Officials’ invitation to join the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere(13). Among them Sultan ALAUYA ALONTO, Datu Sinsuat Balabaran, Datu Minandang Piang, Datu Ombra Amilbangsa, Datu Gulamu Rasul, and Datu Salih Ututalum. They believe that working with the Japanese will serve the best for the many and Japan may grant Independence for Mindanao. ”

THE LIBERATION:
After the war, President OsmeÃƒÂ±a appointed Salipada Pendatun as Governor of Cotabato and Datu Manalao Mindalano as member of Executive Committee of Philippine Veterans Legion. In 1946 elections, Salipada Pendatun was elected Senator and Datu Ombra Amilbangsa and Manalo Mindalano as Congressmen.

The Independence:
The influx of settlers and corporations continued and were able to secure vast lands after the war.

justice league, the MILF if Autonomy is all they wanted should be willing to under the authority of the Government of Republic in administration of the Criminal Justice. It could be given exclusive well-defined power over its resources, its civil administration, and its civil law in accordance to the country constitutions, which maybe amended to accommodate their Religion and Freedom of Conscience, but for Military and Criminal Justice, Monetary, Foreign Policy and as a matter of representing the Country it should only be by the National Government, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, otherwise it would be an Independent State, a Republic on its Own. And the Chicken will be in trouble once she jumps over the fence and that is for sure…

justice league

Did you know that the MOA indicates that the BJE will have their own “internal security force” among other conditions?

Leytenian

Your earlier mining story was kind enough to point out at least one area of mining interest which is in the Compostela valley; which won’t be asked whether it wants to join a BJE for the next 25 years or so.

So that chicken won’t be jumping any fence for the next 25 years.

leytenian

oic.. what about the australian mining in 1998. and the land bought by private firms… is it not in BJE?
may be the peace process is to find out if there’s more fences for the chicken to jump? what do you think?

Yes, I am, that is why the MOA is a very bad start to the proposed BJE treaties and I am very confident it will not be considered by the SC, as it is the trademark of the start of the Breakup of the country not into autonomous regions but a totally separate States. That was the primary aim of theMILF and it will set a precedent to the other groups, political or religion and it is not even constitutional as the Government is proposing to amend the Constitution after the facts…that should be the other way around.

Perhaps that is one reason why it has encountered so much troubles for the chickens and the cows.

leytenian, i will be posting the law in question in full, online. but a quick scan suggests the law stipulated that what would not be recognized as valid were roya (sultan, datu, etc)l grants concerning lands considered in the public domain. anyway you can refer to the law in toto once i’ve posted it.

leytenian, let me just give yuou the opening line of sec. 84 of CA 141, An Act To Amend and Compile the Laws Relative To Lands of ther Public Domain, November 7, 1936:

Sec. 84. Upon recommendation of the Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce, the President, may by proclamation, designate any tract or tracts of the public domain for the exclusive use of the non-Christian Filipinos, including in the reservation, in so far as practicable, the lands used or possessed by them, and granting to each member not already the owner, by title or gratuitous patent, of four or more hectares of land, the use and benefit only of tract of land not to exceed four hectares to each male member over eighteen years of age or the head of a family. As soon as the Secretary of the Interior shall certify that the majority of the non-Christian inhabitants of any given reservation have advanced sufficiently in civilization, then the President may order that the lands of the public domain within such reservation be granted under the general provisions of this Act to the said inhabitants, and the subdivision and distribution of said lands as above provided shall be taken into consideration in the final disposition of the same. But any non-Christian inhabitant may at any time apply for the general benefits of this Act provided the Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce is satisifed that such inhabitant is qualified to take advantager of the same: Provided, That all grants, deeds, patents and other instruments of conveyance of land or purporting to convey or transfer rights of property, privileges, or easements appertaining to or growing out of lands, granted by sultans, datus, or other chiefs of the so-called non-Christian tribes, without the authority of the Spanish Government while the Philippines were under the sovereignty of Spain, or without the consent of the United States Government or of the Philippine Government since the sovereignty of the Archipelago was transferred from Spain to the United States, and all deeds and other documents executed or issued or based upon the deeds, patents, and documents mentioned, are hereby declared to be illegal, void, and of no effect.

That’s provision and based on your question it established exactly the opposite of what the article you cited claimed. What the provision did was emphasize the provisions of the elimination of the secular power of the sultans under the Bates Treaty. The law actually provided for a kind of protection of Muslim property even in areas considered part of the public domain.

leytenian

thanks Manolo for taking the time, I have to ask because I have doubts with the article. I actually like “PUBLIC LANDS”

Sec. 84 explains the definition of “Highest and Best Use of the Land”

One can only acquire legal title of the land either by government grants or by transfer of deeds. Either type is still subject to local governing laws such as payment of property taxes. Failure to pay is subject to foreclosure and the government has the right to take the land back…
So, I’m not so sure if there’s such thing as ancestral land for the MILF. There’s no free ride in this world.
When they have given nothing, ask for nothing.

justice league

I am one of those who believe that the MOA, though initialed; is NOT binding.

So though the core of the proposed BJE will be made up of the ARMM and the pulled municipalities of Lanao Del Norte; I am one of those who believe that there is NO EXISTING BJE at the moment.

And that goes for 1998 up to the present.

So that mining firm and land acquired by private companies you are referring to were done in the context of the law of the Republic of the Philippines whether they be inside the ARMM or even in the proposed BJE.

If YOU BELIEVE that the BJE is existing right now or even in 1998 as per your idea that that Australian mining firm and land acquired are IN THE BJE; please do share your reasons for thinking so as I’m very much interested.

Vic, Grd,

Sorry but I have little time right now so I’ll just read your statements to me later.

You have to forgive functionally illiterates when they fail to take cognizance of the word “reservations.” They already think of fiscal policies -(property taxes) when the social format of the period is still pre-capitalistic and pre-monetary. Mahirap talaga yung mahina ang ulo.

Most of tribal Indian territories were taken over the the white men. The remaining Indian tribes were given small sections of their own ancestral lands and these were called reservations. Naturally losers can’t be choosers.

Under U.S. Federal law the Indian reservations became plots of land outside the ambit of U.S. federal and state laws. Therefore outside the ambit of fiscal policies. Lots of my friends buy duty and tax free cigarettes from Indian reservations.

The colonizers basically drew the boundaries of the Philippines. The Commonwealth then also recognized the “reservations” where the Muslims held sway.

But what the act said was simply the power of the chiefs or datu’s over land use and ownership was canceled. Even the lands on the reservation belonged to the commonwealth state.

The Philippine commonwealth state canceled the feudal rule over absolute property rights of datu’s and chiefs. (Similar in substance to the feudal rules in Europe.) Nation states abolished monarchies. Our tribes were still communal feudal tribes. There was no evolution to more evolved forms of feudalism like in Europe.

The state then moved to grant homesteading rights and after a period of time (they called it becoming civilized) legal titles would be then given.

Young Generation of Politicians Barnstorms Schools, Connects with the Ã¢â‚¬Å“Internet NationÃ¢â‚¬Â

A multipartisan political group called Ã¢â‚¬Å“Young TurksÃ¢â‚¬Â led by Genuine Opposition Spokesperson and Pamantasan Lungsod ng Maynila President Atty. Adel Tamano has started to go the rounds of colleges and universities all over the country. Tamano, along with other young political personalities Nacionalista Party spokesperson and former congressman Gilbert Remulla, English Professor Danton Remoto, Congressman Erin Tanada, and San Juan mayor JV Ejercito are doing the rounds of campuses advocating for youth involvement in governance.

The kick off started at Silliman University in Dumaguete City Last July 10-11, 2008.
Tamano described the event. Ã¢â‚¬Å“The bright students of Silliman University asked questions and we tried to answer them with substance and with style, with wit and cheer and laughter intact. It is because their questions seemed to deal with lack of hope, of being betrayed by their leaders, of abandonment. I hope we kept the spark plug of hope alive. We spoke in a chapel, a presentation room for business students, and the great church Ã¢â‚¬â€ all in one day. We hope the Sillimanians had a grand time, the way we did too, in our first campus tour.Ã¢â‚¬Â
Eero Brillantes, CEO of Mindbullet Marketing and Public Relations, and maintains the young turkÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s blog http://www.oppositeofapathy.wordpress.com says that the blog has become hyperactive after the Silliman activity. Based on site metering, he noted interest in what the group has to say. Ã¢â‚¬Å“The blog has just recently been put up. Yet it has already been visited almost 10,000 times. It is currently ranked number 13 for politics and government by topblogs.com.ph. Its just one notch lower to the Ã¢â‚¬Å“Mar Roxas for President 2010 blog which is at number 12. The blog definitely has momentum. With the campus tour catching fire, the blog is poised to be a prominent fixture in new politics for the country. The Young Turks and the Internet Nation has become properly introducedÃ¢â‚¬Â.

For his part Remoto was upbeat about the launch and how the internet was able to disseminate the event exponentially. Ã¢â‚¬Å“Skycable showed the complete proceedings that night of July 10, and we also had coverage from two radio stations, two newspapers and the Sillimanian college paper as well as its website. Not to mention the many blogs of the bagets from Silliman, which are now being read and re-sent and re-read all over the borderless world of cyberspace. Ã¢â‚¬Â
Congressman Tanada, emphasized the need for dialogue between the young batch of political leaders and the youth. He said that it is important for the youth not to loose hope and for them to assert their rights. Remulla asserted that there is still hope and it resides in the youth and the young generation should not be afraid to stand for what they believe in.
On August 26, 2008, the Young Turks will visit the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance. This will be followed by a tour to University of the Philippines at Los BaÃƒÂ±os in September. xxx

grd

One can only acquire legal title of the land either by government grants or by transfer of deeds. Either type is still subject to local governing laws such as payment of property taxes. Failure to pay is subject to foreclosure and the government has the right to take the land backÃ¢â‚¬Â¦

So, IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m not so sure if thereÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s such thing as ancestral land for the MILF. ThereÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s no free ride in this world.

When they have given nothing, ask for nothing… leytenian

i think that’s why they are called rebels. i haven’t heard of any rebel group yet who pay their own taxes to the govt. they don’t recognize. infact, they collect their own taxes.

grd

anthony scalia

“So, IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m not so sure if thereÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s such thing as ancestral land for the MILF. ThereÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s no free ride in this world”

the MILF is supposedly acting in behalf of Muslim Pinoys. though ancestral lands are recognized and protected by our laws, many of the lands being claimed as “ancestral” by the MILF aren’t really ancestral.